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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · board · stem · toast · tube · calf · hide · bat

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. rule — government
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. toast — bread
  6. rule — a law
  7. tube — a container
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. stem — to come from
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bat — the animal
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — to get on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com